A four-year learning adventure
Students in the primary grades at Seabury School have the opportunity to participate in a four-year educational adventure with hands-on experiential learning opportunities at every turn. With broad central concepts, integrated multidisciplinary units, and an emphasis on STEAM at the core of the curriculum, learning is an engaging, joyful experience for Seabury's first through fourth grade students. It's evident when you walk into the classrooms. There might be a castle, a Viking ship, or transcontinental railroad tracks spanning the carpet. Students could be writing in Cuneiform like the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia. They could be flash-freezing a structure of carbon, glucose, water and soil to understand the composition of a comet. Frequently, students aren't in the classroom. They might be in the MakerSpace, in the pre-k room mentoring younger students, or off on one of the field excursions that are a prime feature of a Seabury education.
Inquiry-based learning & differentiation
At Seabury, asking open-ended questions and exploring to find the answers (or lack of answers) is how students learn, from pre-k to eighth grade. Students engage in authentic, hands-on project-based learning. The emphasis is on higher-level thinking, with ample opportunities for collaboration, creative expression and innovation. Education at Seabury is truly personalized, with learning matched to the readiness of each student in every subject, every day.
Four broad concepts
As with all levels at Seabury School, integrated, multidisciplinary units are at the core of the primary curriculum. First through fourth graders move through a four-year rotation, with a broad central concept each year: Innovation, Quest, Treasure and Transitions. With those concepts as the lens through which content is studied, students can explore relationships between ideas and apply information in new ways. Asking their own questions, combined with hands-on, real-world experiences, engages students actively in their own learning process. In addition to the integrated skills, sequential skills in reading, writing and math are taught using flexible groups and individual readiness.
Year One: Innovation
Over the course of this year, students learn how societies grow and change through scientific and mathematical advancement. Content includes ancient civilizations, world geography, changing political borders and the sciences of archaeology, astronomy and physics. Curriculum is integrated with a focus on STEAM. Students take a hands-on approach to learning just as people in ancient societies did. As the culminating project, students will create their own cultures and participate in an archeological dig.
Year Two: Quest
A quest is a long, arduous search and as students study the Medieval Period and the Renaissance, they explore the factors that allowed people to move from survival mode to discovery mode. Students ask questions about the motivation and skills it takes to embark on a quest. They also explore the passions that might lead them on a personal quest. Science topics of invention, matter and anatomy weave seamlessly into this overarching concept. Inquiry and careful investigation strategies help students think like Leonardo, observe like Galileo and write like Shakespeare. The students have constructed classroom castles, written illuminated manuscripts, built catapults, hosted a Medieval Feast and participated in an Invention Convention during their Quest year.
Year Three: Treasure
Using the inquiry process, the primary students brainstorm questions such as "What makes someone become an explorer?," "What challenges do they face?," and "What do they seek?" Extending the study of exploration into colonialism and indigenous cultures gives primary students a broader understanding of the positive and negative effects of the human drive to explore. Zoology, botany, geography, geology, ecosystems and environmentalism are integrated into the concept during the year. The students develop map skills, and an understanding of biomes and plant and animal taxonomy. The year culminates with a multifaceted Discovery Project, which includes a map, logbook or journal describing their exploration of a real or imagined place, a species description of a created animal or plant, and a final presentation.
Year Four: Transitions
This year the students' inquiry, investigation and discovery dives deep into the broad question of how transitions relate to human history. Evaluation without bias is a focus as they study the American Revolutionary War, Westward Expansion and the Civil War. They will examine how changes in history affected culture and society. Hands-on science topics woven through the units include technology, engineering, machinery and electricity. Students develop an understanding of the diverse group of people who made important contributions in these areas. In doing so, they study how transitions affect people and society.
